Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater hopes Dean Young will be the Dragons’ permanent coach when he joins the club next season after they formed a tight bond together in North Queensland.

Young joined the Cowboys as an assistant coach in 2021 and is starting to turn things around at the Dragons since taking over as interim coach.

They’ve won two of their past five matches and should have won a couple more during that stretch, with Young getting the best out of the wooden spoon favourites after their horror start to the year.

He is the favourite to get the full-time job next year, with fellow club legend Ben Hornby also in the mix.

Drinkwater has been impressed with what he’s seen from the Red V in recent weeks and would love to be coached by Young.

“I do watch a little bit closely now,” he told the NewsWire, with Drinkwater set to join the Dragons on a three-year deal.

“Youngy’s picking players who are defensive effort-based players and who go after the game that way. They’re in games a lot now and it’s much tighter than what they have been.

“He’s a great coach and I hope he gets the job.

“The way he’s able to talk to his players is great and he has a good relationship with players. He understands different players and how they need to be approached or brought up in video sessions or even just one-on-one with him.

“He’s a good dude, hard, and a good communicator, so he’s got every trait. He’s from Wollongong, loves the club, so it’s great to have people who have a really big love for something.

“Fingers crossed he gets it. But if not, I can’t dwell on it. Whoever comes in to coach, I can’t be sulking about that. We’ll see what happens, but fingers crossed Youngy gets it.”

The fullback said it was “easy” to stay focused on his job in Townsville despite having already signed elsewhere.

“I’ve been here for eight seasons. Some of my best mates are in this team and I’ve played a lot of footy with them, so turning up every week and playing footy with them is still fun,” he said.

“There are no dramas about what’s going on next year. We’ve got something special going on here if we can keep playing footy. I just take it as it comes.

“Obviously, I don’t have too much longer as a Cowboy, but I love being one. It’s easy just to turn up, and I want to win games.

“I’ve got a job to do here, and they’ve got a job to do there in their season. Other than trying to find some daycares and houses, that’s all we’ve had a chat about.

“So if anyone in Wollongong want to look after my kids during the week for a daycare, come find my number.”

Drinkwater will provide the attacking spark that the Dragons have sorely lacked, with Keaon Koloamatangi to serve as the veteran leader in a quality young pack that has impressed everyone this year.

Luke Metcalf, Connor Watson and Phil Sami will add class in their positions as well, but Drinkwater looms as the marquee man after he showed his worth with a clutch field goal in golden point to sink Manly on Sunday afternoon.

“It was cool. It was nice to hit it sweet. It was a bit of an adrenaline rush, maybe a bit of a relief as well,” he said after his magic moment.

“I’m confident, so I’ll always back myself. To be able to execute plays, you’ve got to back yourself and be confident, and I have that in bucket loads.

“We’ve got some sweet hitters of the footy. ‘Cliffo’ (Jake Clifford) can hit a nice field goal from deep.

“But just as the game was going tonight, I felt like my involvements were getting stronger and I was playing well. I told the boys in golden point that I wanted the kick. I back myself, and more times than not if you back yourself (good things happen).”

The Cowboys are back in the top eight and take on a Dolphins side that is coming off a 66-0 shellacking, and they should get Tom Dearden back from a lengthy injury lay-off.

“Yeah, well hopefully,” Drinkwater smiled.

“Who knows what’s going on with Tommy? I thought he was back the last four weeks, so we’ll see what happens.”

Originally published as ‘I hope he gets the job’: Scott Drinkwater backs Dean Young for Dragons gig as marquee man shows how important he’ll be for the Red V